' Comparison Of The World Conjured By Social Media And What Goes On In Real-Life', Malaysian Digest, 22 September 2015

 by Teh Wei Soon

EACH day, billions of users access social media sites to post news and share their thoughts, including over 15 million Malaysians, according to a 2013 Industry Performance Report published by Internet regulator, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The survey went on to provide the statistics that 64% of the Malaysian population have access to social media. That means over half of the nation's residents do have some interaction with social media.

So, is it safe to assume that what they post, share and issues trending on social media are actual events and opinions in the real world making their way into social media conversation?

If you are an avid user of social media, it would not have escaped your notice that social protest is becoming increasingly prevalent online.

A study carried out in 2011 by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA looked at the way young people use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and blogs – in relation to political issues.

They identified a phenomenon where people who are already engaged in social protest in the real world tend to use social media channels to obtain or relay information on the issues from their more active use as a ‘soapbox’ to express personal social or political views. They then sought to correlate such online behaviour with offline, real-world political engagement.

In actual fact, the 'noise' on social media is generated by the same handful of people who are equally vocal in real life and it is amplified by the rapid spread of information online.

A Case Of Noisy Minority vs Silent Majority

Two recent examples in politics seem to underscore this observation.

At the recent elections held in Singapore earlier this month, the electoral campaigns that were waged online had led analysts to predict that the results would show big gains for the Opposition as for the first time in the island republic's history, the combined opposition parties contested in every single constituency.

Yet, when the results were announced, the ruling People Action's Party returned with sweeping victory, winning 83 of 89 seats on offer, proving analysts who depended on indications shown on social media wrong.

In fact, the same happened with the UK elections earlier this year when social media got it wrong about how the majority of the British would vote. Social media was awash with pro-Labour sentiment which did not translate to the real world, leading to a complete washout for them at the polls and a surprise victory for the Conservatives with a jubilant comeback for Prime Minister David Cameron.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak had touched on this 'noisy minority, silent majority' phenomena when he wrote in his blog on September 12.

“There is a phrase used in United States politics: the noisy minority and the silent majority. Basically this means while a small group of people may be making so much noise, shouting and demonstrating, there is a bigger group that remains silent and demonstrates its support or otherwise at the ballot box.

“There may be thousands marching and screaming and demonstrating its displeasure. But there may be an even larger group that has no issues and do not share the views of this minority group of noisy protestors.

“Politicians do not fear that noisy minority. What they fear is the silent majority because one never knows what the silent majority is thinking and what they will do come Polling Day,” he wrote. 

If we are to put that same theory to test in the Malaysian arena, this brings up the question whether all the negative sentiment clouding the economic, political and social spheres is more pronounced online, churned by a decidedly disproportionate 'noisy' minority?

If we are to follow social media trends in Malaysia for the past few months, it appears that the government, its leaders and financial institutions are in dire straits.

Earlier on June this year, both the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Sarawak Report, had accused a group of companies linked to state fund 1Malaysian Development Bhd (1MDB) of sensationalized financial irregularities which captured the imagination and fascination of local and international media.

To rub salt into the wound, just a fortnight ago, Al Jazeera had aired an investigative documentary on the once highly controversial and entangled Altantuya Shaariibuu saga which has cast a shadow over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's leadership, largely due to continued speculation and wild conspiracy theories that are kept alive by social media.

If we are to judge by the amount of bad press circulating on social media, it would appear our government is on the brink of collapse and its leadership in tatters but recent events point to the contrary.

While the Internet offers considerable scope to spread political views, people may not actually be spurred to take part in real-world protest activity by information circulating on the social media.

How much attention should we pay for real time events shared via social media, even if the facts are not yet verified — or is it better to wait until the sources have been confirmed and and announcement made by authorized sources before arriving at a conclusion?

Know How To Differentiate Between Truth And Lies

According to Human Rights Watch, Malaysia is a country where the government acts with impunity, persecutes opposition voices, and controls most levers of power.

Be that as it may, the fact that those baseless allegations with misleading statements even emerged suggests that the political discourse in Malaysia is becoming far more open than previously perceived – partly due to the proliferation of social media – especially socio-political websites.

Tan Sri Musa Hassan is the former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) “Social media has increasingly become an alternative platform used to deliver news and information due to the advancement in information technology, but there must always be balance because sometimes it is misused as a medium to spread lies and animosity.”

That was the view shared by former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan (pic) when contacted by Malaysian Digest to comment on the matter.

“Yes, it is with no doubt that social media helps to deliver useful information to the people, but we need to be cautious as it is sometimes being misused for some wrong reasons. When social media is misused, people will be fed by untruths and misleading statements. When this happens, they will not be able to differentiate between truth and untruth,” said Musa.

Referring to the recent steps taken by the authorities to block some websites which spread sensitive and unverified news, he remarked: “This has nothing to do with the so-called ‘interference’ but more to the efforts to ensure the news presented [to the readers] are fair and balanced.”

“In view of this, news organisations should be responsible in delivering any information. Put simply, they must not manipulate the news. They should take responsibility for the information they provide,” he said, adding that some of the news reports were in fact baseless smears and politically motivated with no solid evidence.

Musa, however, added: “The general public has every right to access to the social media as they should be adequately informed on the current issues”, urging media professionals to abide by responsible journalism.

Do Not Get Trapped In The War Of Perception

Prime Minister Najib Razak had, in many occasions, expressed regret and stressed that allegations and slanders hurled against him were politically motivated as it was an attempt from the opposition to unseat him and topple his government, saying that he was prepared to receive constructive criticisms but "would not stay quiet or compromise if wild allegations that were baseless were being hurled at his family."

Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian (pic) asserted that the role of social media is to disseminate useful and reliable information to the readers instead of spreading the unverified ones. Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian is a political analyst from Universiti Sains Malaysia

“Social media plays a significant role in building trust and confidence among the readers, but there is no denying that their roles have become more complex these days. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the readers to verify the authenticity of the information to avoid falling into the war of perceptions,” he told Malaysian Digest when contacted.

Commenting on the MCMC’s recent moves to block several websites for spreading ‘sensitive’ news, Dr Sivamurugan opined that they should instead verify the truth and authenticity behind the headlines before censoring them.

“To ensure that whatever action [the authorities concerned] made does not backfire, they must disclose the rationality behind their decisions,” he said, adding that the authorities concerned must also always educate the readers when it comes to reading news online.

“It is unfair to say all social media disseminate baseless, unverified news. The key point here is the readers themselves. They should try to rationalise and seek the truth on whatever they read on news portal, blog, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms,” stressed Dr Sivamurugan.

News On Social Media Requires One To Apply Self-Censorship

Contacted last Friday, political blogger Datuk Ahirudin Attan (pic), widely known as Rocky Bru, asserted that although it is unfair to view social media as an anti-government platform due to its diversified users – since they come from all age groups, but social media is, in fact, a bad substitute for genuine and real journalism.

“It is the nature of human to read and search for something ‘sensational’, usually via online news sites. Take, the recent reports by Sarawak Report on 1MDB fiasco for example, it had without doubt gripped the attention of local and international media attention. However, the methods taken were downright unethical as the reports were not been backed by solid evidence.

Datuk Ahirudin Attan is a political blogger, veteran journalist and former editor of several publications“Very often, poorly reported news often relies on unsubstantiated information. This is the reason why certain news presented nowadays were severely distorted and fabricated,” said Ahirudin, who is the veteran journalist known for his posts on the blog Rocky’s Bru.

Having worked with the The New Straits Times Press Berhad (NSTP) for 21 years and several other print media such as The Malay Mail, Business Times and The Sunday Mail, he observed that it is indeed not easy for news organizations these days because they must always deal with somehow raw and unverified information.

When asked if too many restrictions on social media would undermine press freedom, Ahirudin remarked: “While it is true that strict restrictions on social media would dampen the freedom of expression, but it should be noted that there must always be limits.”

“This is because unverified news – some of them were half-truths and outright lies can mislead the readers as well as the society at large… and this is an example of poor journalism,” he added, echoing the thoughts of the former IGP.

Sometimes, social media is an abused mass information dissemination tool which is often but not always, based on hearsay and not on any tangible evidence. In fact, this can underpin distorted news, many of which are merely half-truths, lies and speculation but nevertheless leads to a suspicion that an ulterior motive may be at play.

As Edward De Bono, a Maltese physician and author, once so aptly put it, “There's a danger in the internet and social media. The notion that information is enough, that more and more information is enough, that you don't have to think, you just have to get more information – gets very dangerous.”

Let’s choose wisely on what we read, share and spread online.fe

 Published on Tuesday, 22 September 2015 08:00

Written by Teh Wei Soon

EACH day, billions of users access social media sites to post news and share their thoughts, including over 15 million Malaysians, according to a 2013 Industry Performance Report published by Internet regulator, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

The survey went on to provide the statistics that 64% of the Malaysian population have access to social media. That means over half of the nation's residents do have some interaction with social media.

So, is it safe to assume that what they post, share and issues trending on social media are actual events and opinions in the real world making their way into social media conversation?

If you are an avid user of social media, it would not have escaped your notice that social protest is becoming increasingly prevalent online.

A study carried out in 2011 by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA looked at the way young people use Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and blogs – in relation to political issues.

They identified a phenomenon where people who are already engaged in social protest in the real world tend to use social media channels to obtain or relay information on the issues from their more active use as a ‘soapbox’ to express personal social or political views. They then sought to correlate such online behaviour with offline, real-world political engagement.

In actual fact, the 'noise' on social media is generated by the same handful of people who are equally vocal in real life and it is amplified by the rapid spread of information online.

A Case Of Noisy Minority vs Silent Majority

Two recent examples in politics seem to underscore this observation.

At the recent elections held in Singapore earlier this month, the electoral campaigns that were waged online had led analysts to predict that the results would show big gains for the Opposition as for the first time in the island republic's history, the combined opposition parties contested in every single constituency.

Yet, when the results were announced, the ruling People Action's Party returned with sweeping victory, winning 83 of 89 seats on offer, proving analysts who depended on indications shown on social media wrong.

In fact, the same happened with the UK elections earlier this year when social media got it wrong about how the majority of the British would vote. Social media was awash with pro-Labour sentiment which did not translate to the real world, leading to a complete washout for them at the polls and a surprise victory for the Conservatives with a jubilant comeback for Prime Minister David Cameron.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak had touched on this 'noisy minority, silent majority' phenomena when he wrote in his blog on September 12.

“There is a phrase used in United States politics: the noisy minority and the silent majority. Basically this means while a small group of people may be making so much noise, shouting and demonstrating, there is a bigger group that remains silent and demonstrates its support or otherwise at the ballot box.

“There may be thousands marching and screaming and demonstrating its displeasure. But there may be an even larger group that has no issues and do not share the views of this minority group of noisy protestors.

“Politicians do not fear that noisy minority. What they fear is the silent majority because one never knows what the silent majority is thinking and what they will do come Polling Day,” he wrote. 

If we are to put that same theory to test in the Malaysian arena, this brings up the question whether all the negative sentiment clouding the economic, political and social spheres is more pronounced online, churned by a decidedly disproportionate 'noisy' minority?

If we are to follow social media trends in Malaysia for the past few months, it appears that the government, its leaders and financial institutions are in dire straits.

Earlier on June this year, both the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the Sarawak Report, had accused a group of companies linked to state fund 1Malaysian Development Bhd (1MDB) of sensationalized financial irregularities which captured the imagination and fascination of local and international media.

To rub salt into the wound, just a fortnight ago, Al Jazeera had aired an investigative documentary on the once highly controversial and entangled Altantuya Shaariibuu saga which has cast a shadow over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's leadership, largely due to continued speculation and wild conspiracy theories that are kept alive by social media.

If we are to judge by the amount of bad press circulating on social media, it would appear our government is on the brink of collapse and its leadership in tatters but recent events point to the contrary.

While the Internet offers considerable scope to spread political views, people may not actually be spurred to take part in real-world protest activity by information circulating on the social media.

How much attention should we pay for real time events shared via social media, even if the facts are not yet verified — or is it better to wait until the sources have been confirmed and and announcement made by authorized sources before arriving at a conclusion?

Know How To Differentiate Between Truth And Lies

According to Human Rights Watch, Malaysia is a country where the government acts with impunity, persecutes opposition voices, and controls most levers of power.

Be that as it may, the fact that those baseless allegations with misleading statements even emerged suggests that the political discourse in Malaysia is becoming far more open than previously perceived – partly due to the proliferation of social media – especially socio-political websites.

Tan Sri Musa Hassan is the former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) “Social media has increasingly become an alternative platform used to deliver news and information due to the advancement in information technology, but there must always be balance because sometimes it is misused as a medium to spread lies and animosity.”

That was the view shared by former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Musa Hassan (pic) when contacted by Malaysian Digest to comment on the matter.

“Yes, it is with no doubt that social media helps to deliver useful information to the people, but we need to be cautious as it is sometimes being misused for some wrong reasons. When social media is misused, people will be fed by untruths and misleading statements. When this happens, they will not be able to differentiate between truth and untruth,” said Musa.

Referring to the recent steps taken by the authorities to block some websites which spread sensitive and unverified news, he remarked: “This has nothing to do with the so-called ‘interference’ but more to the efforts to ensure the news presented [to the readers] are fair and balanced.”

“In view of this, news organisations should be responsible in delivering any information. Put simply, they must not manipulate the news. They should take responsibility for the information they provide,” he said, adding that some of the news reports were in fact baseless smears and politically motivated with no solid evidence.

Musa, however, added: “The general public has every right to access to the social media as they should be adequately informed on the current issues”, urging media professionals to abide by responsible journalism.

Do Not Get Trapped In The War Of Perception

Prime Minister Najib Razak had, in many occasions, expressed regret and stressed that allegations and slanders hurled against him were politically motivated as it was an attempt from the opposition to unseat him and topple his government, saying that he was prepared to receive constructive criticisms but "would not stay quiet or compromise if wild allegations that were baseless were being hurled at his family."

Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian (pic) asserted that the role of social media is to disseminate useful and reliable information to the readers instead of spreading the unverified ones. Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian is a political analyst from Universiti Sains Malaysia

“Social media plays a significant role in building trust and confidence among the readers, but there is no denying that their roles have become more complex these days. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the readers to verify the authenticity of the information to avoid falling into the war of perceptions,” he told Malaysian Digest when contacted.

Commenting on the MCMC’s recent moves to block several websites for spreading ‘sensitive’ news, Dr Sivamurugan opined that they should instead verify the truth and authenticity behind the headlines before censoring them.

“To ensure that whatever action [the authorities concerned] made does not backfire, they must disclose the rationality behind their decisions,” he said, adding that the authorities concerned must also always educate the readers when it comes to reading news online.

“It is unfair to say all social media disseminate baseless, unverified news. The key point here is the readers themselves. They should try to rationalise and seek the truth on whatever they read on news portal, blog, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms,” stressed Dr Sivamurugan.

News On Social Media Requires One To Apply Self-Censorship

Contacted last Friday, political blogger Datuk Ahirudin Attan (pic), widely known as Rocky Bru, asserted that although it is unfair to view social media as an anti-government platform due to its diversified users – since they come from all age groups, but social media is, in fact, a bad substitute for genuine and real journalism.

“It is the nature of human to read and search for something ‘sensational’, usually via online news sites. Take, the recent reports by Sarawak Report on 1MDB fiasco for example, it had without doubt gripped the attention of local and international media attention. However, the methods taken were downright unethical as the reports were not been backed by solid evidence.

Datuk Ahirudin Attan is a political blogger, veteran journalist and former editor of several publications“Very often, poorly reported news often relies on unsubstantiated information. This is the reason why certain news presented nowadays were severely distorted and fabricated,” said Ahirudin, who is the veteran journalist known for his posts on the blog Rocky’s Bru.

Having worked with the The New Straits Times Press Berhad (NSTP) for 21 years and several other print media such as The Malay Mail, Business Times and The Sunday Mail, he observed that it is indeed not easy for news organizations these days because they must always deal with somehow raw and unverified information.

When asked if too many restrictions on social media would undermine press freedom, Ahirudin remarked: “While it is true that strict restrictions on social media would dampen the freedom of expression, but it should be noted that there must always be limits.”

“This is because unverified news – some of them were half-truths and outright lies can mislead the readers as well as the society at large… and this is an example of poor journalism,” he added, echoing the thoughts of the former IGP.

Sometimes, social media is an abused mass information dissemination tool which is often but not always, based on hearsay and not on any tangible evidence. In fact, this can underpin distorted news, many of which are merely half-truths, lies and speculation but nevertheless leads to a suspicion that an ulterior motive may be at play.

As Edward De Bono, a Maltese physician and author, once so aptly put it, “There's a danger in the internet and social media. The notion that information is enough, that more and more information is enough, that you don't have to think, you just have to get more information – gets very dangerous.”

Let’s choose wisely on what we read, share and spread online.

'Jangan Jadikan Hak Berhimpun Perkara Main-Main - Penganalisis Politik', Bernama, 11 September 2015

 

Oleh Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil

KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Sept (Bernama) -- Jangan jadikan hak yang dijamin kerajaan untuk berhimpun sebagai satu perkara main-main, kata penganalisis politik.

Pensyarah Kanan Hal Ehwal Politik dan Antarabangsa, Pusat Pengajian Antarabangsa Universiti Utara Malaysia, Md Shukri Shuib berkata setiap perhimpunan yang dirancang perlu ada rasional.

"Kita tak nak hanya disebabkan perkara remeh-temeh, sampai nak dibuat satu perhimpunan besar-besaran, kalau boleh cari jalan lebih profesional," katanya kepada Bernama.

Md Shukri berkata walaupun hak berhimpun dijamin Akta Perhimpunan Aman 2012, namun setiap perkara dilakukan semasa berhimpun adalah juga bersandarkan sistem perundangan negara.

"Kita ada Akta Hasutan dan Akta Pencegahan Keganasan (POTA) antara lain, ini harus dipatuhi selain disulam dengan etika berhimpun," katanya.

Md Shukri berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas mengenai rancangan 'Perhimpunan Rakyat Bersatu' yang dilapor media bakal dianjur 16 Sept ini, di ibu negara, antara lain sebagai membantah penganjuran himpunan Bersih 4 baru-baru ini.

Penganjur perhimpunan berkenaan dilapor memohon pesertanya memakai baju berwarna merah pada hari berkenaan.

Mengulas lanjut mengenai motif penganjuran perhimpunan yang lebih dikenali sebagai perhimpunan Baju Merah berkenaan, Md Shukri berkata: "Two wrongs don't make a right (Dua-dua perhimpunan adalah salah)."

Seorang lagi penganalisis politik, Prof Madya Dr Sivamurugan Pandian berkata dalam konteks negara pelbagai kaum, sensitiviti antara kaum perlu dilihat.

Pensyarah kanan Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan di Universiti Sains Malaysia itu berkata ini supaya keharmonian yang telah lama terbina tidak terganggu.

"Saya percaya apa sahaja tindakan yang akan diambil, harus berpusatkan kepada pendirian itu. Walaupun ada perbezaan, pendekatan praktikal yang tak memberi kesan kepada keharmonian perlu diambil," katanya.

Ditanya sama ada beliau setuju sekiranya perhimpunan bersifat perkauman dianjurkan, Pandian berkata beliau bersifat terbuka mengenainya, namun khuatir sejauh mana ia boleh berlangsung tanpa melibatkan unsur-unsur emosional.

"Ini pasti ada. Jadi terserah kemampuan penganjur untuk mengawal mereka. Faktor keselamatan dan keamanan ini harus diambil kira," katanya.

Sebelum ini Timbalan Ketua Polis Negara Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim berkata polis tidak akan membenarkan perhimpunan itu diadakan atas faktor keselamatan.

-- BERNAMA

'PAS Label Will Be Hard To Shed, Say Analysts', New Straits Times, 2 September 2015

'Azmin Fears Losing His Post, Says Analyst', New Straits Times, 30 June 2015

'Penangguhan Pemilihan UMNO Timbulkan Kritikan', Sinar Harian, 29 Jun 2015

'Perdana Menteri Tentukan Nasib Palanivel Tidak Lama Lagi', Kosmo, 27 Jun 2015

'Palanivel's Lonely Journey Ahead', New Straits Times, 26 June 2015

'Analysts: Polls The Only Answer', The Star, 23 June 2015

'Pemilihan Semula Demi Survival MIC', Mingguan Malaysia, 21 Jun 2015

'Berapa Lama Kerajaan Pimpinan PKR Mampu Bertahan Di Selangor?', Bernama, 18 Jun 2015

 

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Jun (Bernama) -- "Perceraian" antara PAS dan DAP yang menghancurkan hubungan kerjasama dalam pakatan rakyat setakat ini tidak menjejaskan kedudukan Mohamed Azmin Ali sebagai Menteri Besar Selangor, namun kelangsungan pemerintahan kerajaan pimpinan PKR itu masih berdepan cabaran besar.

Kerajaan Selangor dilihat tetap boleh berfungsi seperti biasa tetapi hanya dengan pentadbiran yang kurang efektif.

Demikian pandangan beberapa penganalisis politik dengan situasi politik semasa di Selangor lebih-lebih lagi dengan PAS dan DAP masing-masing menguasai 15 kerusi dalam Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN), sedangkan PKR hanya dengan 13 kerusi.

Apabila PAS dan DAP tidak lagi mampu duduk semeja, Mohamed Azmin yang juga Timbalan Presiden PKR, kini perlu lebih berhati-hati dalam percaturan politiknya untuk menguruskan kerajaan campuran ketiga-tiga parti politik itu.

Dekan Pusat Pengajian Antarabangsa, Kolej Undang-Undang, Kerajaan dan Pengajian Antarabangsa, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Prof Madya Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani berkata PKR perlu bijak membuat percaturan bagi memastikan ia terus mendapat sokongan untuk menerajui pentadbiran Selangor.

"Ramai melihat kedudukan Mohamed Azmin sebagai Menteri Besar tidak mungkin terjejas dengan berakhirnya riwayat pakatan. Namun, adalah tidak mustahil bahawa pilihan raya negeri mungkin tidak dapat dielakkan di Selangor," katanya kepada Bernama.

DUN Selangor mempunyai 56 kerusi, PAS (15), DAP (15), PKR (13), BN (12) dan Bebas (1). Kerajaan pimpinan PKR kini dibentuk dengan 43 kerusi gabungan DAP, PAS dan PKR.

Dr Mohd Azizuddin berkata jika Azmin terpaksa membuat pilihan di antara DAP atau PAS, dan beliau memilih untuk bersama DAP, dan menerima anggota serpihan daripada PAS yang mungkin beralih arah, maka beliau akan mengeruhkan hubungan PKR dengan PAS.

Jika semua 15 wakil rakyat PAS memutuskan untuk tidak menyokong pimpinan Azmin kerana tidak lagi boleh 'bertentang mata' dengan wakil rakyat DAP, kerajaan pimpinan PKR akan hilang majoriti, katanya.

Situasi ini boleh berlaku kerana gabungan kerusi DAP dan PKR hanya berjumlah 28, sekaligus menyamai jumlah kerusi pembangkang BN dan PAS termasuk kerusi milik bekas Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim yang kini berfungsi sebagai ADUN Bebas yang menyokong BN.

Sekiranya senario itu berlaku, Mohamed Azmin perlu mendapatkan kembali sokongan untuk membentuk kerajaan sekurang-kurangnya dengan majoriti mudah, iaitu mendapatkan sokongan 29 ADUN.

"Keadaan Azmin juga akan terjejas sekiranya ada wakil rakyat yang bertindak membawa usul undi tidak percaya terhadap pimpinannya di DUN dan jika usul itu diterima, kedudukan beliau akan goyah kerana situasi itu memungkinkan adanya pilihan raya negeri," katanya.

Sementara itu, Pensyarah Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan di Universiti Sains Malaysia Prof Madya Dr Sivamurugan Pandian berkata kerajaan PKR Selangor masih boleh berfungsi jika wakil rakyat kedua-dua parti bertelagah itu masih kekal di dalam barisan kepimpinan kerajaan negeri.

"Namun oleh kerana tiada lagi permuafakatan di antara DAP dan PAS, wakil rakyat kedua-dua parti itu mungkin bergerak sebagai individu dan tidak menyuarakan pandangan yang mewakili parti masing-masing," katanya.

Beliau berkata apabila keadaan itu berlaku, pentadbiran kerajaan negeri akan menjadi kurang efektif kerana setiap keputusan bukanlah secara kolektif seperti ketika ketiga-tiga parti itu berada di dalam pakatan.

-- BERNAMA

'MIC Tidak Mampu Selesai Krisis Tanpa Bantuan Orang Tengah', Bernama, 18 Jun 2015

 

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Jun (Bernama) -- Krisis dalaman MIC yang semakin meruncing memerlukan campur tangan pihak berkecuali sebagai perantara dalam menyelesaikan kemelut parti politik kaum India itu, menurut pandangan veteran dan penganalisis politik tanah air.

Mereka berpendapat Presiden MIC Datuk Seri G. Palanivel dan timbalannya Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam mendapatkan bantuan orang tengah bagi menyelesaikan masalah parti itu.

Veteran MCA, Datuk Yap Pian Hon berkata MIC perlu mengambil langkah seperti MCA semasa berhadapan dengan krisis parti pada tahun 1980-an dengan memberi peluang kepada Barisan Nasional (BN) untuk membantu parti itu menyelesaikan krisis dalaman mereka.

Beliau berkata krisis MIC ketika ini hampir sama dengan apa yang pernah dialami oleh MCA pada masa itu apabila presiden dan timbalan presiden parti tidak sehaluan.

"Dengan bantuan rundingan daripada BN, MCA kembali bersatu," katanya kepada Bernama di sini hari ini.

Beliau merujuk kepada krisis kepimpinan tertinggi MCA membabitkan Datuk Dr Neo Yee Pan dan Datuk Mak Hoon Kam dengan Tan Koon Swan pada 1985.

Veteran UMNO, Datuk Mustapha Yaakub berkata MIC tidak perlu dingin terhadap bantuan yang ditawarkan pihak ketiga terutama daripada parti komponen BN yang ingin membantu.

"Hasrat BN nak membantu MIC selesaikan masalah, tetapi jangan sampai niat baik kita disalah tafsir. Terbukti hari ini MIC tidak boleh selesai secara dalaman maka eloklah MIC mencari jalan penyelesaian melalui orang tengah di luar MIC tidak kira bantuan daripada UMNO atau MCA ataupun Gerakan," katanya.

Bagi bekas Ketua Pergerakan Wanita UMNO, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, beliau berpendapat mana-mana parti komponen BN perlu memberi keutamaan kepada kepentingan parti dan BN.

Beliau berkata jika mana-mana parti dalam BN benar-benar menghadapi kebuntuan dalam menyelesaikan kemelut yang melanda, maka kepimpinan parti itu perlulah mendapatkan nasihat pimpinan tertinggi BN.

"Walau apapun (masalah dalaman berlaku) jangan biarkan perselisihan menggugat parti, memecahbelahkan ahli dan memberi kesan kepada BN. Perkara ini saya merujuk kepada semua komponen BN," katanya.

Semantara itu, penganalisis politik, Prof Madya Dr Ahmad Marthada Mohamed dari Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), berkata kedua-dua pemimpin tertinggi MIC harus mengetepikan kepentingan peribadi masing-masing dan berkompromi dalam menyelesaikan krisis tersebut.

"Saya yakin mereka sedar, jika mereka tidak duduk semeja dan menyelesaikan krisis ini secara baik, maka MIC akan ditakdirkan gagal dan menjadi tidak relevan," kata dekan Kolej Undang-Undang, Kerajaan dan Pengajian Antarabangsa UUM itu.

Beliau berkata walaupun krisis MIC bukan sesuatu yang baharu kerana ia juga pernah berlaku semasa kepimpinan sebelum ini, namun Palanivel dilihat seolah-olah mengheret krisis tanpa penyelesaian yang jelas.

Malah, katanya, keputusan mahkamah menolak permohonan Palanivel dan empat yang lain untuk membatalkan arahan Pendaftar Pertubuhan (RoS) mengadakan pemilihan semula parti itu telah membawa satu perkembangan yang baharu.

BN sebelum ini cuba menghulurkan bantuan dengan menjadi orang tengah untuk menyelesaikan krisis tersebut tetapi pemimpin MIC enggan menerimanya kerana mahu menyelesaikan masalah mereka sendiri.

Seorang lagi penganalisis politik, Porf Madya Dr Sivamurugan Pandian dari Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), mencadangkan pemilihan semula semua jawatan termasuk jawatan presiden dan timbalan presiden merupakan penyelesaian terbaik.

"Pada pendapat saya, cadangan ini akan dapat meletakkan titik noktah dalam krisis ini. Krisis ini tidak harus berlarutan sehingga menjejaskan imejh parti berusia 68 tahun itu," katanya.

-- BERNAMA

'MIC Perlu Adakan Pemilihan Semula Dan Terus Melangkah', Bernama, 18 Jun 2015

 

Fokus Berita Oleh S Kisho Kumari

KUALA LUMPUR, (Bernama) -- Pergolakan dalaman MIC semakin tidak keruan berikutan beberapa perkembangan termasuk penggantungan keanggotaan timbalan presiden dan 14 yang lain, susulan keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi yang menolak dua permohonan semakan kehakiman untuk membatalkan arahan Pendaftar Pertubuhan (RoS) supaya mengadakan pemilihan semula parti itu.

Permohonan tersebut dibuat oleh Presiden MIC Datuk Seri G Palanivel dan empat individu lain.

Datuk Seri S.K. Devamany, seorang anggota Jawatankuasa Kerja Pusat (CWC) interim 2009-2013 yang diperakui RoS, berkata dengan keputusan mahkamah itu, tiba masanya untuk MIC mengadakan pemilihan semula dan terus melangkah.

"Kami telah terlalu lama terperangkap dalam kemelut ini. Orang ramai tertanya-tanya kedudukan parti ini dan mereka menyangka kami hanya berminat untuk terus berkuasa daripada memikirkan kelangsungan parti yang berusia 70 tahun ini dalam mewakili masyarakat India di Malaysia," katanya.

Beliau memberitahu Bernama bahawa keputusan mahkamah itu mengesahkan semula CWC interim penggal 2009-2013, yang diberikan tanggungjawab oleh RoS supaya mengadakan pemilihan semula bagi menentukan hala tuju parti.

Menegaskan bahawa parti berkenaan hanya akan pulih semula setelah pemilihan baru diadakan, Devamany berkata terdapat keperluan mendesak bagi MIC untuk mengembalikan semula maruah serta mendapatkan penghormatan orang ramai.

"Kesemua permasalahan dalam parti telah mengelirukan orang ramai dan kami sangat malu dengan keadaan ini. Bagaimanapun, kami sedang mencuba sedaya upaya untuk terus bergerak seperti yang diarahkan oleh RoS," tambah beliau.

Selasa lepas, Palanivel menggantung keanggotaan Timbalannya Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam dan 14 ahli lain serta-merta selama setahun berikutan kegagalan mereka membatalkan mesyuarat Interim CWC penggal 2009-2013.

Subramaniam telah mengadakan mesyuarat pada hari Isnin setelah Mahkamah Tinggi memutuskan untuk menolak kedua-dua permohonan semakan kehakiman.

Subramaniam menyatakan bahawa Palanivel tidak mempunyai kuasa untuk menggantung beliau dan 14 yang lain, iaitu naib presiden Datuk M. Saravanan, Ketua Wanita Mohana Muniandy dan anggota-anggota CWC iaitu Devamany, N. Rawisandran, Datuk R. Ganesan, Datuk M.Davendran, Datuk K.R.A. Naidu, Datuk V.M. Panjamothy, P. Manivasagam, S. Ananthan, M. Mathuraiveran, Datuk M. Asojan, P. Shanmugan dan K.R. Parthiban.

Pada Selasa, Subramaniam juga telah mempengerusikan satu lagi mesyuarat CWC interim di ibu pejabat MIC walaupun keanggotaan dalam parti mereka telah dilucutkan.

Krisis MIC tercetus berikutan perbezaan pendapat di antara Palanivel dan timbalannya setelah RoS mengeluarkan notis pada 5 Dis yang mengarahkan parti tersebut mengadakan pemilihan baru bagi tiga jawatan Naib Presiden dan 23 anggota CWC.

RoS membatalkan keputusan pemilihan yang diadakan pada November 2013 berikutan aduan berlakunya penyelewengan.

Sementara itu, Prof Madya Dr Sarjit Singh Gill, pensyarah kanan Jabatan Sains Kemasyarakatan dan Pembangunan di Universiti Putra Malaysia, berkata segala kekecohan di dalam MIC mendatangkan kesan negatif terhadap masyarakat India dan memberi amaran bahawa pihak pembangkang akan mengambil kesempatan untuk kepentingan politik mereka.

"Saya melihat kesannya daripada aspek politik dan sosio-ekonomi di mana... akhirnya masyarakatlah yang akan rugi. Mereka telah meletakkan kepercayaan terhadap MIC tetapi lihatlah, apa yang berlaku kepada parti ini sekarang," katanya kepada Bernama.

Beliau menegaskan bahawa masyarakat telah menghadapi pelbagai masalah sosio-ekonomi dan sangat memerlukan pemimpin-pemimpin yang jujur serta boleh memahami kesusahan yang dialami sekaligus membantu mereka.

Sarjit berkata memandangkan Mahkamah Tinggi telah membuat keputusan berhubung perkara berkenaan, kedua-dua pemimpin teratas MIC sepatutnya bertemu untuk membincangkan tindakan selanjutnya.

"Tetapi ia tidak berlaku. Pemimpin-pemimpin tersebut tidak cuba menyelesaikan isu-isu terbabit, malah mencetuskan lebih banyak masalah... Sungguh tidak demokratik," kata beliau.

Prof Madya Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, pensyarah Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan Universiti Sains Malaysia pula berkata dua pemimpin utama parti berkenaan sepatutnya menggerakkan sumber-sumber parti dan fokus kepada menyelesaikan isu-isu tertunggak - bukannya saling berebut jawatan tertinggi parti.

Penganalisis politik itu berkata kegagalan parti untuk mencari jalan bagi memulihkan krisis tersebut menunjukkan bahawa ia lebih berminat memendam konflik dalaman dan bukannya untuk terus bergerak.

Beliau mengakui tidak akan terkejut jika kebanyakan pengundi berbangsa India akan mengenepikan MIC dan mengundi parti pembangkang pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Pada Rabu, Setiausaha Agung Barisan Nasional Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor berkata parti gabungan itu tidak akan masuk campur dalam krisis kepimpinan MIC yang semakin meruncing.

Beliau yang menyatakan kebimbangannya terhadap perkembangan terkini, bagaimanapun percaya parti itu boleh menyelesaikan masalah dalamannya.

-- BERNAMA

'How Long Can PKR-led Government Survive In Selangor?', 18 June 2015

 

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- The "divorce" between PAS and the DAP which destroyed the cooperation in the Opposition Pact (PR) so far has not affected the position of Mohamed Azmin Ali as the Menteri Besar in Selangor, but the PKR-led state government will be facing major challenges.

The Selangor government appears to be able to still function as usual but in a less effective manner.

This was the view of several political analysts with regard to the current political situation in Selangor especially with PAS and the DAP controlling 15 seats each in the State Legislative Assembly while the PKR only has 13 seats.

When PAS and the DAP can no longer sit down together, Mohamed Azmin who is also PKR deputy president, must now be extra cautious in his political game to manage the coalition government comprising the three political parties.

The dean of the School of International Studies of the College of Law, Government and International Studies, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) Prof Madya Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said PKR must be smart in playing the political game to ensure that it continued to receive the support to lead the Selangor administration.

"Many perceive that Mohamed Azmin's position as the Menteri Besar will probably not be affected with the non-existence of the PR. But, it is not impossible that a state election may be imminent in Selangor," he told Bernama.

The Selangor State Legislative Assembly has 56 seats of which PAS holds 15, DAP (15), PKR (13), BN (12) and Independent (1). The PKR-led government currently is formed through the coalition between the DAP, PAS and PKR which hold 43 seats between them.

Dr Mohd Azizuddin said if Azmin was forced to make a choice between the DAP and PAS, and if he chooses to work together with the DAP, and accepts splinter members from PAS who have defected, then he would strain relations between the PKR and PAS.

If all the five PAS elected representatives do not support Azmin's leadership as they could no longer face the DAP assemblymen, then the PKR-led state government would lose its majority, he said.

This situation could arise because the DAP and PKR coalition would only hold 28 seats, thus equalling the seats held by the BN opposition, including the seat held by former menteri besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim who now functions as an Independent assemblyman supporting the opposition (BN).

If this scenario arises, Mohamed Azmin must again seek the support to form the state government with at least a simple majority, that is to obtain the support of 29 assemblymen.

"Azmin's position will also be affected if there are assemblymen calling for a vote of no-confidence against his leadership and that the State Assembly accepts the motion. His position will be shakened because such a situation may lead to a state election," he said.

Meanwhile, a lecturer at the Social Science Study Centre, Universiti Sains Malaysia Prof Madya Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said the Selangor PKR government could still function if the assemblymen from the two disputing parties remained with the state government leadership.

"However, without cooperation between the DAP and PAS, the elected representatives from both the political parties may no longer voice the views of their respective parties," he said.

He said if this happened, the state administration would become less effective because every decision was not made collectively like the case when the three political parties were in the opposition pact.

-- BERNAMA

'MIC Needs Help From Third Party To Resolve Crisis - Analyst', Bernama, 18 June 2015

 

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 (Bernama) -- MIC's internal crisis which has deepened considerably requires the intervention of a neutral party as mediator to resolve the crisis, political veterans and analysts said.

They feel it was time for MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel and his deputy Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam provided help by a third party to resolve the problems faced by the party.

MCA veteran Datuk Yap Pian Hon said the MIC should take similar measures as MCA when the party was faced with a crisis in the 1980s, that was to allow Barisan Nasional (BN) to assist the party to resolve their internal crisis.

He said the current MIC crisis was very similar to that experienced by the MCA at that time when the president and deputy president were at loggerheads.

"With the help of BN's negotiations, MCA was reunited," he told Bernama here today when referring to the MCA's leadership crisis involving Datuk Dr Neo Yee Pan and Datuk Mak Hoon Kam with Tan Koon Swan in 1985.

Umno veteran Datuk Mustapha Yaakub said the MIC does not need to be cold towards help that is offered by third parties, especially from BN component parties who want to help.

"BN wants to help solve the problem, but do not let our good intentions be misinterpreted. MIC proved today that it cannot resolve the problem within, it is best the MIC finds a solution through mediators outside MIC irrespective whether the help is from UMNO, MCA or even Gerakan," he said.

Former Wanita Umno chief, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, is of the opinion that BN component parties should give priority to the interests of the party and BN.

She said if any party in BN is really facing an impasse in resolving the crisis that has engulfed the party, the party leadership should seek the advice of BN's top leadership.

Meanwhile, political analyst Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Marthada Mohamed of Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) said both MIC leaders must put aside their personal interest and come to a compromise in order to resolve the crisis.

"I'm sure they realise, if they do not attempt to sit together and solve this crisis amicably, MIC in particular will be doomed and become irrelevant," the dean of the college of Law, Government and International Studies told Bernama today.

He pointed out that although the crisis in MIC was not something new as it also happened during previous leadership, Palanivel seems to be dragging it without a clear solution.

In fact the recent court decision rejecting Palanivel and four others' request to nullify the Registrar of Societies (RoS) order to hold fresh party elections, seemed to have taken a new twist.

Marthada also shared the same sentiment as others that a mediator was needed in this crisis and the mediator could come from within the party or be an outsider because

BN had tried to intervene but it seems MIC leaders refused as they initially wanted to solve the problem by themselves.

Another political analyst, Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, suggested that fresh elections for all posts, including party president and deputy president, would be the best solution to solve the crisis.

"This solution, in my opinion, would resolve and put a stop to the matter. This problem must not go on until it damages the 68 year-old party's image," the lecturer with Universiti Sains Malaysia's Social Science Studies Centre said.

-- BERNAMA

'Hold Re-Elections And Move On, MIC Told', Bernama, 19 June 2015

 

By S. Kisho Kumari

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- The MIC's image took yet another beating this week following the turn of events after the High Court on Monday rejected two judicial review applications to annul the Registrar of Societies' (RoS) directive to the MIC to hold re-elections.

The applications were filed by MIC President Datuk Seri G. Palanivel and four others.

Datuk Seri S.K. Devamany, a member of the RoS-recognised interim 2009-2013 Central Working Committee (CWC), said with the court ruling, it was time for the MIC to conduct re-elections and move forward.

"We've been caught in the doldrums for far too long. People are questioning the relevance of this party and they think we're only interested in holding onto power, rather than worry about this 70-year-old party's representation of the Indian community in Malaysia," he said.

He told Bernama the court decision reconfirmed the validity of the interim 2009-2013 CWC, in which the RoS has vested the responsibility to conduct re-elections to decide the future destiny of the party.

Stressing that the party could only get its house in order after the fresh elections, Devamany said there was a dire need for the MIC to work towards reinstating its dignity and earning the respect of the people.

"All that turmoil in the party has been confusing the people and we are feeling embarrassed too. But we're trying our best to get things moving as per the RoS directive," he said.

NO POWER

On Tuesday, Palanivel suspended his deputy Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and 14 others for a year with immediate effect for defying his orders not to hold the party's interim 2009-2013 CWC meeting.

Subramaniam had convened the meeting on Monday following the High Court's decision to reject the two judicial review applications.

Subramaniam has claimed that Palanivel has no power to suspend him and the 14 others, namely MIC vice-president Datuk M. Saravanan, Wanita chief Mohana Muniandy and CWC members Devamany, N. Rawisandran, Datuk R. Ganesan, Datuk M. Davendran, Datuk K.R.A. Naidu, Datuk V.M. Panjamothy, P. Manivasagam, S. Ananthan, M. Mathuraiveran, Datuk M. Asojan, P. Shanmugan and K.R. Parthiban.

On Tuesday, Subramaniam chaired another interim CWC meeting at the MIC headquarters although their party membership had been suspended.

The MIC crisis erupted following differences in opinion between Palanivel and his deputy after the RoS issued a notice last Dec 5 directing the party to hold fresh elections for the three vice-presidential and 23 CWC posts.

The RoS had nullified the elections held in November 2013 following complaints of irregularities.

NEGATIVE IMPACT FROM COMMOTION

Meanwhile, Assoc Prof Dr Sarjit Singh Gill, who is a senior lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia's Department of Social Sciences and Development, said all that commotion in the MIC was having a negative impact on the Indian community and warned that the opposition could capitalise on it to gain political mileage.

"I'm looking at the impact from the political to the socio-economic aspects...it's the community who will be at the losing end at the end of the day. They have placed their trust in MIC but look at what is happening to the party now," he told Bernama.

He said the community has enough socio-economic woes to contend with and seriously required sincere leaders who could look into their plight and help them.

Sarjit said since the High Court had already passed judgement on the matter, the two top MIC leaders should meet and discuss the next course of action.

"But this is not happening. The leaders are not trying to settle the issues, in fact they're creating more problems...very undemocratic," he added.

Assoc Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, a lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia's School of Social Sciences, said the party's top two leaders - instead of claiming ownership of the top party post - should mobilise the party's resources and focus on resolving the various outstanding issues.

The political analyst said the party's failure in finding remedies to settle the crisis showed that it was more interested in stoking up its internal conflict than to move forward.

He added that he would not be surprised if most Indian voters abandoned the MIC and voted for the opposition at the next general election.

Barisan Nasional Secretary-General Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had said on Wednesday that the coalition would not intervene in the worsening MIC leadership crisis.

Although he expressed his concern over the current developments, he believed that the party could sort out its problems internally.

-- BERNAMA

'Heed RoS Order Or Let BN Help', New Straits Times, 18 June 2015

'Up to PKR To AVERT Constitutional Crisis', New Straits Times, 18 June 2015

'MIC Needs Fresh Polls', The Star, 18 June 2015

'Pakatan No Longer Functions', The Star, 18 June 2015

'Hanya PM Boleh Selesai Masalah', Berita Harian, 17 Jun 2015

'Snap Pools In Selangor?', New Straits Times, 17 June 2015

'Kedudukan Subra, Saravanan Dalam Kabinet Tidak Terjejas', Kosmo, 17 Jun 2015

'Krisis Pakatan Rakyat Ibarat 'Politik Ulang Tayang' - Penganalisis', Bernama, 16 Jun 2015

 

Analisa Berita Oleh Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Jun (Bernama) -- Apa yang berlaku terhadap Pakatan Rakyat ibarat 'politik ulang tayang' yang mempamerkan trend normal kegagalan beberapa lagi pakatan parti pembangkang yang pernah terbentuk dalam negara sebelum ini.

Penganalisis politik, Md Shukri Shuib menarik perhatian pakatan pembangkang jika dilihat, secara konsistennya, tidak pernah berjaya kekal begitu lama.

Ini termasuk gabungan Semangat 46 dan PAS dalam Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah dan Semangat 46 dan DAP menerusi Gagasan Rakyat.

Namun, bercakap kepada Bernama, Pensyarah Kanan Hal Ehwal Politik dan Antarabangsa, Universiti Utara Malaysia itu berkata bukan cerita mengenai kegagalan mereka yang penting tetapi impak kegagalan mereka kepada rakyat.

Menurutnya, timbul banyak persoalan terutama ke atas negeri dipimpin secara bersama oleh mereka, khususnya negeri Selangor yang merupakan antara negeri maju dalam negara.

"Pembubaran pakatan ini, impaknya bukan sahaja pada kerjasama sesama parti, tapi melibatkan persoalan pembubaran ikatan kongsi kuasa di Selangor.

"Tempias utama adalah mengenai kedudukan kerajaan negeri Selangor serta ia akan beri gambaran keadaan ketidaktentuan," dakwanya.

Pakatan Rakyat merupakan pakatan tidak rasmi yang dibentuk pada 1 April 2008 oleh DAP, PAS dan PKR selepas Pilihan Raya Umum ke-12.

Bagaimanapun, pakatan itu diisytihar tidak lagi wujud oleh DAP selepas jawatankuasa eksekutif pusatnya mencapai kata putus pada mesyuaratnya semalam.

Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng dalam kenyataannya hari ini berkata, keputusan yang dibuat Muktamar PAS sebelum ini untuk memutuskan hubungan dengan DAP telah 'membunuh' pakatan itu.

Seorang lagi penganalisis politik, Prof Madya Dr Sivamurugan Pandian berkata fokus sekarang adalah terhadap pentadbiran negeri Selangor yang mana PAS dan DAP masing-masing memegang 15 kerusi, manakala PKR 13, BN 12 dan Bebas 1.

"Kalau kesemua (PKR, PAS, DAP) bersetuju untuk bekerjasama maka PKR boleh terus memimpin, kalau tidak mungkin pilihan raya negeri perlu diadakan, yang mana saya rasa seeloknya-eloknya dielakkan," katanya.

Pensyarah kanan Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan di Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) itu bagaimanapun kesal, kerana rakyat telah memberi satu bentuk kepercayaan kepada Pakatan Rakyat dan mengharapkan prestasi perkhidmatan terbaik.

"Saya lihat, keputusan banyak bergantung kepada PKR, sama ada mahu kekal atau mencari alternatif kerjasama baharu yang barang kali akan bawa titik tolak baharu," katanya.

Isu perbalahan dalaman gabungan pembangkang yang berlanjutan sejak sekian lama menjadi lebih serius selepas Dewan Ulama PAS pada 3 Jun lepas sebulat suara meluluskan usul tergempar untuk memutuskan hubungan dengan DAP dalam Muktamar Tahunan PAS ke-61.

DAP yang 'terguris hati' dengan usul Dewan Ulama, kebelakangan ini semakin agresif memberikan tekanan yang mahu anggota PAS meletak jawatan dalam kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang.

Lim pada Khamis lepas dilapor sebagai berkata keengganan kepimpinan baharu PAS untuk mengarahkan wakil PAS di negeri itu meletak jawatan dalam pentadbiran kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang adalah sangat memalukan.

Timbalan Presiden PKR, Mohamed Azmin Ali pula sebelum ini ketika didesak mengenai pendirian PKR mengenai usul PAS, meminta rakan sekutunya supaya tidak mengheret beliau dalam kemelut politik mereka yang disifatkannya seperti 'permainan kebudak-budakan'.

Pada Sabtu lepas, beliau bagaimanapun dilaporkan mengalu-alukan penubuhan parti politik baharu yang dicadangkan oleh Persatuan Ummah Sejahtera Malaysia (Pasma) bagi menggantikan PAS dalam Pakatan Rakyat.

-- BERNAMA

'Pakatan Rakyat Crisis, A Replay Of Past Opposition Pact Failures', Bernama, 17 June 2015

 

By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) -- What is happening to Pakatan Rakyat is a replay of the failures of several other opposition party pacts formed in the country.

Political analyst Md Shukri Shuib drew attention to the fact that opposition pacts were found consistently to be unable to stay together for long.

This included the coalition of Semangat 46 and PAS in Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah and Semangat 46 and DAP via Gagasan Rakyat.

Speaking to Bernama, the Universiti Utara Malaysia Political and International Studies senior lecturer, said however it was not about their failures which was important but the impact of their failures on the people.

It raised many questions, especially on states jointly led by them, specifically Selangor which was among the most developed states in the country.

"The impact of the dissolution of this pact is not only on the cooperation among the parties but also involved the question of the dissolution of power-sharing ties in Selangor.

"The main spillover effect is on the position of the Selangor state government and it will give an overview on the state of uncertainty, "he claimed.

Pakatan Rakyat is an unofficial pact which was formed on April 1, 2008 by DAP, PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) after the 12th general election.

However, the pact was declared as having ceased to exist by DAP after its central executive committee arrived at a consensus during its meeting yesterday.

DAP secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng, in a statement today, said the decision which was made by the PAS Assembly prior to this to sever ties with DAP had killed the pact.

Another political analyst, associate professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said the focus now was towards the administration of Selangor whereby PAS and DAP each held 15 seats, PKR (13), Barisan Nasional (12) and independent (one).

"If all (PKR, PAS, DAP) agree to cooperate, PKR can continue to lead, otherwide a state election must be held, which I feel should be avoided," he said.

The Universiti Sains Malaysia's Centre for Social Science Studies senior lecturer, however, expressed his regret, because the people had given a form of trust to Pakatan rakyat and hoped for the best service performance from them.

"I see, the decision depends a lot on PKR, whether to maintain the status quo or find a new cooperation alternative which probably bring a new base point," he said.

The squabble in Pakatan Rakyat which had been dragging for so long became more serious after the PAS Dewan Ulama on June 3 unanimously approved an emergency motion to sever ties with DAP at the 61st PAS Assembly.

DAP, which was hurt at the motion of the Dewan Ulama, lately became more aggressive in pressuring PAS members to resign from their posts in the Penang state government.

Lim, on Thursday, was reported as saying the refusal of the new PAS leadership to direct PAS representatives in the state to resign from the Penang state government administration was very shameful.

PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, on his part prior to this, when pressed on PKR's stand on the motion by PAS, told his allies not to drag him into their political crisis which he regarded as 'childish'.

On Saturday, he, nevertheless, was reported to have lauded the formation of a new political party which was proposed by the Ummah Welfare Association Malaysia (Pasma) to replace PAS in Pakatan Rakyat.

'Mungkin Berdepan Pilihan Raya Negeri', Berita Harian, 8 Jun 2015

'Feud Will Break Up Pakatan, Say Analyst', New Straits Times, 6 June 2015

'PM Mahu Pasukan Terbaik Bersama', Sinar Harian, 2 Jun 2015

'PAS Must Make Painful Choice Between Two feuding Factions', The Sun, 2 June 2015

'RMK-11: Masyarakat Kelas Satu', Pena DrSiva, Utusan Malaysia, 1 Jun 2015

SAU 327 - Last Lecture May 2015

'Ahmad A Boon For PAS' Erdogans, Say Analysts', New Straits Times, 30 May 2015

'Proses Integrasi Dan Perpaduan Nasional Kian Mencabar, Penganalisis', Bernama, 27 Mei 2015

 

Oleh Erda Khursyiah Basir

KUALA LUMPUR, (Bernama) -- Di mana-mana sahaja sama ada di rumah, restoran, pasar raya malah semasa menaiki pengangkutan awam, senario masa kini menyaksikan manusia sibuk dengan gajet masing-masing khususnya telefon pintar.

Ramai yang tidak keruan jika tertinggal telefon bimbit, seakan kehilangan sesuatu. Internet di hujung jari menguasai setiap lapisan masyarakat, apatah lagi di kalangan generasi muda, menjadikan gajet mesti berada dalam genggaman.

Tatkala gajet ini memudahkan komunikasi, ia juga sebenarnya menjarakkan manusia kerana mereka lebih senang berbicara menerusi gajet, tanpa perlu bertentang mata dan berbicara hati ke hati.

Pensyarah kanan Pusat Pengajian Antarabangsa, Kolej Undang-Undang, Kerajaan dan Pengajian Antarabangsa, Universiti Utara Malaysia Dr Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar Lee Abdullah berkata senario ini sebenarnya memberi impak kepada perpaduan negara.

Proses integrasi dan perpaduan nasional menjadi kian mencabar ekoran majoriti generasi muda lebih gemar menggunakan masa mereka di alam maya terutama media sosial, berbanding meningkatkan jalinan aktiviti secara realiti dalam masyarakat pelbagai kaum di negara ini.

"Gen X dan Gen Y lebih banyak berdampingan dengan gajet dan lebih mengutamakan perhubungan secara maya terutama dengan rakan yang kebanyakannya memang sudah dikenali di media sosial seperti Twitter dan Facebook.

"Mereka lupa untuk keluar mencari kawan baharu dan berhadapan realiti kehidupan khususnya melibatkan pelbagai latar belakang masyarakat setempat.

"Untuk itu, sekolah, kolej dan institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) merupakan medium paling ideal dalam usaha menyemai kembali agenda perpaduan di kalangan generasi muda pada hari ini," katanya kepada Bernama.

Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar berkata melalui pendedahan awal oleh ibu bapa berhubung konsep perpaduan dan kemudian diteruskan sehingga ke peringkat sekolah dan IPT, ia secara tidak langsung berupaya memecah tembok perkauman di kalangan generasi muda terutama apabila mereka melangkah ke alam pekerjaan.

IKUT TREND SEMASA

Selain meletakkan gajet di tepi buat seketika dan meluangkan masa untuk bergaul, apakah langkah lain bagi menghidupkan dunia sosial supaya masyarakat secara realitinya benar-benar bersatu?

Pensyarah Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan di Universiti Sains Malaysia Prof Madya Dr Sivamurugan Pandian berpendapat generasi muda harus diberi lebih banyak peluang agar mereka berasa turut 'menyumbang dan hadir' dalam proses pembinaan negara.

Selain perlu mengembalikan roh atau aktiviti gotong-royong di kalangan belia, beliau berpendapat agenda perpaduan sebetulnya lebih mudah untuk diperluaskan melalui rangkaian media sosial yang menjadi 'kemestian' bagi golongan itu pada hari ini.

"Melahirkan lebih banyak ikon dalam pelbagai bidang di kalangan generasi muda juga adalah suatu kelebihan kerana generasi muda selalu melihat bahawa mereka lebih memahami dengan baik sesuatu bidang terutama yang diminati contohnya seperti media sosial, sukan, hiburan dan pemimpin belia," katanya.

PERPADUAN TIDAK WUJUD SENDIRI

Perpaduan dalam konteks negara yang rencam memerlukan iltizam dan keupayaan yang tinggi untuk mengurusnya.

Menurut Sivamurugam, rakyat tidak boleh terlalu selesa sehingga menganggap perpaduan itu wujud dengan sendiri kerana ia merupakan tanggungjawab bersama termasuk keluarga, sekolah, universiti, agensi pekerjaan, rakan sebaya, media dan pemimpin negara.

Berkongsi pendapat sama, Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar berkata keadaan semasa hari ini menuntut lebih banyak maklumat berkaitan kepentingan perpaduan atau kesepaduan sosial yang perlu dipaparkan di media cetak dan elektronik termasuk media sosial kerana kaedah itu mampu membawa impak positif dalam usaha memupuk kesefahaman masyarakat.

Katanya aspek mencari nilai kesefahaman dan perkongsian antara kaum perlu disemai dan dipupuk secara berterusan agar kesepaduan sosial yang dibina bakal menzahirkan erti perpaduan nasional sebenar.

"Soal mencapai integrasi nasional merupakan satu proses pembinaan negara bangsa, dan ia tidak dibina dalam masa yang singkat. Perpaduan kaum juga tidak wujud secara sendiri tanpa ada kesefahaman atau akomodasi yang baik antara pelbagai kaum, ia perlu dipupuk dan disemai sejak awal.

"Proses memupuk perpaduan berkembang kepada asimilasi antara kaum dalam bentuk saling menghormati antara satu sama lain dalam konteks kepercayaan dan adat resam," katanya.

ELAK SENTIMEN PERKAUMAN

Sentimen perkauman yang kadang kala sengaja dibangkitkan segelintir pihak mesti dielak sama sekali.

Kepekaan terhadap hubungan antara kaum amat penting kerana ia dapat menghindarkan isu berbaur perkauman walaupun cuma bersifat remeh dan picisan, kata Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar.

Pensyarah bidang hubungan etnik ini berkata kecenderungan untuk menimbulkan sentimen perkauman perlu dielak selain sensitiviti kaum lain perlu difahami dan dijaga kerana ia adalah prasyarat kepada perpaduan.

Selain mengelakkan isu-isu yang melangkaui batas kaum, teguran juga perlu dilakukan dengan berhemah, di samping memastikan kesantunan sebagai masyarakat timur sentiasa dijaga oleh semua lapisan masyarakat.

"Namun begitu, keadaan sekarang jauh berbeza berikutan ledakan informasi secara viral menerusi Internet begitu pantas disampaikan tanpa tapisan.

"Fenomena ini amat merbahaya kerana 'spinning' sesebuah isu tanpa kawalan boleh menyebabkan masyarakat berada dalam keadaan 'tidak tenteram', huru-hara termasuk menggugat keharmonian antara kaum," katanya.

Percaya bahawa rakyat perlu sentiasa diberi kefahaman tentang sensitiviti kaum, aspek literasi perlembagaan dan tadbir urus negara juga tidak terkecuali perlu dititikberatkan atas alasan masyarakat yang memahami perlembagaan dan sistem pentadbiran, secara automatik akan menjadi rakyat yang lebih bertanggungjawab.

Tidak menolak perkara itu, Sivamurugan berkata rakyat perlu kembali kepada asas bagaimana masyarakat berbilang bangsa dan agama dapat hidup bersatupadu di negara ini.

"Semangat perkongsian, nilai kepunyaan, konsep kesederhanaan atau 'middle path' (wasatiyyah) serta tidak radikal yang bertunjangkan kepada nilai kemanusiaan perlu terus dimantapkan," katanya.

SEPAKAT MISI KEMANUSIAAN

Apakah kesepakatan dalam misi menghulur bantuan seperti isu pelarian Rohingya dan gempa bumi di Nepal baru-baru ini merupakan antara 'penanda aras' bahawa rakyat Malaysia sememangnya bersatu padu?

Sivamurugan berpendapat ia adalah satu proses ke arah kebersatuan secara jitu.

Ujar beliau, sekiranya semangat seperti itu boleh dikembangkan berasaskan prinsip kemanusiaan secara berterusan dan tidak bermusim, maka rakyat boleh terus melakukan penambahbaikan ke atas usaha mengurus perpaduan dan kemuafakatan dalam negara.

Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar pula berpandangan isu bantuan melangkaui erti kemanusiaan.

Saluran bantuan yang diterjemahkan oleh masyarakat pelbagai kaum di negara ini menunjukkan rakyat negara ini adalah masyarakat yang prihatin tanpa mengambil kira ideologi dan bangsa.

"Malaysia memang dikenali sebagai sebuah negara yang prihatin terhadap isu-isu kemanusiaan global selain manifestasi rakyat pelbagai kaum di negara ini menghulurkan bantuan kepada dunia secara tidak langsung membuktikan bahawa masyarakat majmuk di bumi Malaysia hidup bersepakat dan bersatu padu," katanya.

-- BERNAMA

'Integration, Unity Process More Challenging Now, Says Analyst', Bernama, 27 May 2015

 

By Erda Khursyiah Basir

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- Whether at home, in the restaurant or supermarket or even when using public transport, most people can be seen engrossed with their hand-held gadgets, particulary smartphones.

In fact, there is a tendency for people to feel "lost" should they accidently leave their phones at home before going out. So powerful is the lure of the Internet, especially when it is available at one's fingertips, that people of all walks of life, especially the younger generation, just cannot do without cradling a phone in their palms.

On the one hand, such gadgets have paved the way for easier communications but, on the other hand, they have unwittingly distanced human beings from each other, in a sense that these "tools" have done away with the need to have eye contact and heart-to-heart conversations.

Dr Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar Lee Abdullah, who is a senior lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia's School of International Studies, said today's social scenario was having an impact on the nation's unity.

In fact, the process of forging national unity and integration has become more challenging as youths become more interested in surfing the Internet and being absorbed in their social media affairs than make an effort to be involved in activities that promote interracial unity.

"These days, the Gen X and Gen Y are closer to their gadgets and more attentive to their virtual relationships with their 'friends'on Facebook and Twitter.

"They have forgotten how to go out and look for new friends and face the real world, especially when it comes to mingling with people of different backgrounds," Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar told Bernama, adding that schools, colleges and institutions of higher learning were ideal places to sow seeds of racial integration.

He said it would help if parents exposed their children early to the concept of unity, and if they were continuously exposed to it at the school- and later university-level, they would succeed in breaking across racial barriers by the time they start working.

KEEPING UP WITH CURRENT TRENDS

Besides advising people to keep their phones aside and spare some time to build real-life friendships, what else can they do to foster unity among the various races?

Asso Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, a lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia's School of Social Sciences, opined that more opportunities should be given to the young generation to enable them to have this sense of "having contributed and being present" in the nation-building process.

Besides reviving the spirit of volunteerism through gotong-royong activities, he said, the unity agenda should also capitalise on social media networks to gain the attention of youths.

"It'll also be an advantage to introduce more youth icons in various fields because the young generation would view them as having a better grasp of the subject concerned, be it social media, sports, entertainment or youth leadership," he said.

FORGING OF UNITY

Unity in the context of a plural society can only be forged and maintained if there is true commitment on the part of the players concerned.

According to Sivamurugan, people cannot afford to be complacent and assume that unity was something that could occur naturally. It was the joint responsibility of all stakeholders, including families, schools, universities, employment agencies, friends, media and the nation's leaders, to promote unity, he said.

Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar agreed, saying that the current situation warranted for more information pertaining to the imortance of unity or social cohesion to be made available via the print or electronic media, including social media. This, he added, would have a positive impact on efforts to foster racial tolerance.

He said the aspect of understanding the values of the people of other racial backgrounds and sharing them should be sown and nurtured continuously to pave the way for social cohesion which, in future, would reflect the true meaning of national unity.

"Attaining national integration involves the nation-building process and it can't be done in a short time. Racial unity cannot come about on its own, without the various races understanding or accommodating the best in each other. This is something that has to be sown and nurtured from the start.

"The process of nurturing unity begins to thrive when the various races assimilate and respect each other, in the context of their beliefs and customs," he said.

AVOID RACIAL SENTIMENT

A full stop has to be put to attempts by certain quarters to play the racial card. The issue being bandied about may be trivial but it can inflame racial tension if no efforts are made to safeguard interracial relations.

Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar, who lectures on ethnic relations, said people should avoid raising issues that evoke racial sentiment, adding that they should make it a point to understand the sensitivities of the other races as this was among the conditions that preceded unity.

Besides avoiding issues which have communal overtones, the people, regardless of their backgrounds, should also make an effort to remain courteous, a common trait of the people in eastern societies.

"However, things have changed a lot now, with uncensored information exploding virally through the Internet.

"This phenomenon is very dangerous because any issue can be spinned out of control. This can cause unrest among the people and even lead to chaos, which can affect racial harmony," he said.

Efforts should also be made to enhance the people's understanding of the Federal Constitution and system of governance, because when they are more literate about such matters, they tend to exercise more responsibility when it comes to issues concerning the sensitivities of other races.

Sivamurugan agreed, saying that Malaysians should go to the basics of how people of different races and religions could coexist in this country.

"We should continue to reinforce in the people the spirit of sharing and sense of belonging, besides promoting the concept of moderation or middle path and putting a stop to radicalisation," he said.

JOINT HUMANITARIAN MISSONS

Can the joint humanitarian missions that were launched by Malaysians to extend aid to the earthquake victims in Nepal and Rohingya refugees be described as benchmarks for racial unity?

Sivamurugan felt that the missions were an apt reflection of the unity process taking place in this country.

He said if such a spirit, which flourished on the principle of compassion, existed perpetually and not seasonally, efforts being undertaken to maintain unity and consensus in this country would see vast improvements.

Mohd Ainuddin Iskandar said the aid missions, which were spearheaded by people of various races, showed that Malaysians were concerned about the welfare of others, regardless of their ideology or race.

"Malaysia is known for being concerned about global humanitarian issues. Furthermore, Malaysians of different racial backgrounds have been mobilised to extend aid to the world which, indirectly, have proven that this nation's plural society lives in unity," he said.

-- BERNAMA

'Ahmad Is Sending A Message To Hadi', New Straits Times, 16 May 2015